Deceptions
by smyle94
Summary: Continuation of first fanfiction After Catching Fire, this 2nd story to my fanfiction series creates a plot following the point of views of all former characters in Catching Fire as well as newly introduced characters...Read for your enjoyment!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **

**Old and new readers/reviewers, welcome! Before you go on to reading the first chapter I have posted up along with this author's note, let me remind you once again that this is the second part to a fanfiction I already started called "Haunting Souls". Therefore, if you do not begin with that fanfiction, you will not understand this one. For those who have already ready "Haunting Souls", here is a sweet reminder of where every character is at this point. (IF YOU HAVE NOT READ HAUNTING SOULS, DO NOT READ THIS SPOILER!) :)**

**Katniss&Peeta: Inside the most recent Hunger Games, they have just been placed in the Games after being kidnapped by President Snow from District 13. **

**Gale&Cinna: Have reached the Capitol and are in hiding now, preparing for their next steps to help Katniss and Peeta. Gale is broken after finding out that Katniss must be placed in a Hunger Games once again…**

**Madge: Left by Gale in District 13 to "fend for herself" (you will understand by the first chapter…) She has begin to have feelings for Gale, and who knows if this feeling is mutual...**

**Ms. Loo: Has just taken over the hovercraft driven by Lurena, the girl working for Cinna who injected Johanna with the mutating element. After previous thoughts of Ms. Loo being on Cinna's team, she has deceived him, actually working for her own benefits (and don't forget that earlier in Haunting Souls, she had injected Peeta, Gale, and Annie with tracking devices)**

**President Snow: Busy in the Capitol, devising his plans to destroy District 13 and their "secret weapon" (aka: Johanna)**

**Johanna: Turned into a mutation working for Cinna and his organization, she is out there in the midst of the war of District 13, slaughtering the Capitol tributes. With this path chosen, she knows she will not return to human…**

**Darius: Having fallen for Johanna, his exact location at this point is unknown for now. All we know is that he followed Johanna out to war when she ran off away from Lurena and the hovercraft.**

**Lurena: Kidnapped by Ms. Loo, she is being forced to direct this sly woman to the Capitol.**

**Annie: Annie hasn't been seen ever since she left the hovercraft with Cinna, Peeta, and Gale. However, her whereabouts will soon be revealed…**

**Finnick: Last seen unconscious with Katniss, where he is at this point has yet to be known. Once again, however, this will be revealed.**

**Prim: Being tended to by her mother, she is in the sanctuary of one of the District 13 homes during this time.**

**Well, there you go, a short summary of the main characters of this chapter :) I hope this pushes you on to reading the next chapter, I put so much effort into my work, so please do the favor of reviewing for my writing benefits :)**

**Hope you all love it!**

**-smyle94**


	2. Chapter 2

Madge

I had watched Gale leave. Not once did I blink until I watched the hovercraft take off from the ground and glide over the trees and away from me.

Once the hovercraft was out of sight, my breathing resumed and my blood unfroze, warming my chilled body.

I unclamp my hands and clumsily move the hair out of my eyes. I wish he knew I had been here to see him leave with Cinna, but what's the point? It could never be anymore obvious that his heart belongs to Katniss, no matter how much she is able to cause the aching pain I can so easily see in his eyes.

I can't blame her, though. Love is something that cannot be controlled, and if she loves Peeta as well, _she_ can't even stop herself. I feel the same is happening to me…

I had left the battle scene and the sudden urge to stay away from it keeps me going in the opposite direction from District 13. Being out in the woods, I could care less which way my gut leads me. Anywhere away from the blood and gore can calm my stomach just fine.

I can feel a change of air as I break through a dense clot of bushes and into a clearing. Just up ahead, a replica of Gale's hovercraft stands wistfully and soundlessly. My heart beats slow down. Who else is here?

Slowly, I tiptoe to the hatch that marks the entrance to the craft. I ponder for a second, doubting I should cause any disturbance, before I knock determinedly on the cold metal.

No reply.

I take a step back, hoping no one had actually noticed as my real senses kick in. I turn to scramble out of sight when I hear the hiss of the hatch unlocking and cracking open.

"I know you," a voice behind me calls curiously. I feel like I am not in control of my body when I turn back around to see who has recognized me.

The woman's eyes bore into me, but my jaw unclamps by her beauty. She looks young, yet wise and devious at the same time. Her dark hair falls around her small face as she studies me with a tilted head.

"Gale's girl, eh?" she asks in a melodic voice.

I begin to shake my head when she smiles wryly.

"I see," she whispers with a knowing look on her face. She raises an eyebrow. "Not quite there yet?"

I can't stifle the laugh that escapes my throat. It sounds nearly cold-blooded and my hand jerks to my throat on impulse. I bite my bottom lip, glancing up to see how the lady reacted.

Surprisingly, she has sustained that sympathetic look on her face.

"Who are you?" I croak, breaking the silence.

"My name is Loo," she says without a pause. "And you are?"

"Madge," I reply.

Loo suddenly steps aside motioning towards the entrance to the hovercraft.

"I work with Cinna, you know," she explains. My eyes widen. The last thread of discomfort left between us has been cut.

"Where are you heading to?" I ask.

She smiles joyfully, as if she is the happiest person alive.

"Capitol. I've been requested to follow Cinna there."

She glances my way to see the reaction on my face. And by the looks of it, she seems satisfied when a sense of eagerness floods inside of me.

"You know, I've heard about this thing between Gale and Katniss," she begins. I divert my eyes quickly, and the excitement has rushed out of my body just like that.

"I'm not surprised," I say dryly.

Loo grins and shakes her head.

"If you ask me, I think Gale needs to let go already. And Katniss, don't let me get started on her…"

I quickly raise my eyes, questioning her with the crook of my eyebrow.

"She needs to tell him she already has," Loo whispers, her voice small yet powerful.

"Ms. Loo, do you have room for one more?" I question, suddenly feeling the adrenaline seep into my veins once again.

"I thought you'd never ask," she cries with a charm. She motions towards the entrance of the craft with her slender fingers. I walk over and step in before her, a smile glued to my face.

I glance back quickly just before she comes in. I see her looking into the distance with a strange, unkind smile on her lips. Regret hits me, making me wish I hadn't invited myself in.

I turn back around and stop short of breath. Staring at me from the seat she is tied down to is a young girl with a pale face. She is shaking her head fiercely, her eyes begging for me to abort before it is too late.

Just as I turn around, about to excuse myself out of this mission, the hatch seals shut, and Loo is standing before me, her eyes borrowed from the devil.

"Make yourself comfortable," she growls before grabbing at my arm.

I have no time to scream. Or rather, I have lost the will to.


	3. Chapter 3

Finnick

I wake up in the midst of someone's sobs. I rub my eyes, trying to break the heaviness of sleep enveloping my senses.

And just like that, the cries end.

I blink a few times before glancing around.

My head, leaning on a throw pillow, is throbbing inconceivably.

"Finnick," I hear a small voice cry. I stop mid-thought and raise myself from my sleeping position, ignoring the aches and stabbing pain echoing from each limb of my body.

"Annie!" I cry as she sits there before me with a distant look in her eyes.

A smile is pressed against her lips as she wipes away the last of her tears. I grasp her in a tight hug, and I feel fresh tears from her face land on my shoulder as she tries to stifle a weep.

At last, I can count on her safety. My worries and terrible nightmares are for now long gone in my mind.

I let go of her, removing the tears from her face with my finger. She smiles, and for a second, her eyes flash back to the time before her sanity had been screwed with. That look departs in a moment, however, and that same distant look resumes its position. I ignore it, for I have already mastered getting used to this.

"Finnick, your alright," I hear a voice exclaim from the other side of the room. I twist my head around to find Mrs. Everdeen.

"Yes, I'm fine, actually," I mumble gratefully, "Thank you."

Mrs. Everdeen shuffles quickly to my side and gently forces my body back on the couch cushions.

"I can assure you I'm fine," I insist, but she shakes her head without a word.

"Where am I?" I ask, suddenly remembering the last time I had been conscious was right before I was knocked senseless by a mutt. I had been trying to keep Katniss safe, and obviously I had no chance.

"You are inside one of the homes here in the District," she begins with a frown. I feel her place a cool towel on my forehead as she begins to muster up something I begin to think I'm going to have to swallow.

"A war has begun and for now, we can only pray for the slim chance of mercy Snow may have to offer," she whispers. I take another glance at Annie and suddenly notice a scar running down the side of her cheek.

"Who did that to you?" I question with a boiling voice. Her eyes widen and she lightly touches the swelling mark on her face. Mrs. Everdeen quickly takes a glance at her before resuming to her medicines.

"She is fine. Don't worry Finnick. It's only a scratch," Mrs. Everdeen says in clipped sentences as she studies the liquid she begins to offer to me.

"Drink this," she orders before standing up to leave.

Sluggishly, I grasp the paper cup and stare at the pinkish liquid inside. I pinch my nose with one hand and quickly swallow the distasteful contents of the cup.

"I must go now," I begin. Mrs. Everdeen is about to argue before she stops herself, waving a hand towards the exit before walking into the kitchen on the other side of the room.

She must be used to this by now.

I use all my strength to sit up and am about to stand when Annie places a pleading hand on arm. I glance at her, and the saddened eyes on her face nearly catch me off-guard.

"I'm fine," I tell her. I smile lightly and she does the same, tilting her head to her right side the way she always used to when I would start to laugh at her jokes.

I then begin to stand up again when her hand tightens on my arm.

"Annie, I must go," I insist. One glance her way again, and my fingers make their way to the scar on her face. I barely lay a finger on it before she winces.

"They will pay for that," I promise. My gaze lands on Annie's eyes. I always used to get lost in the mixture of gray and green of her eyes. Time seems to stop as we watch each other in a trance. I can barely feel myself get closer to her until our lips touch.

Annie jerks away from me, her breathing suddenly labored. I grasp her shoulders and steady her swaying body.

"Calm down. Don't worry. I'm here," I beg. She shakes her head fiercely, her eyes searching the ground between us.

Guilt overcomes me.

The last time I had ever kissed her was the last moment I saw her before she was taken into the Hunger Games, a tribute to their torture chamber. One of the lasting memories she had kept after her incident in the Games was the kiss we shared before being ripped apart from each other.

Any other kiss after that will only hold that same connotation to her.

And what makes it worse, I must leave her now again. With her in safety, I can finally utilize my strength needed by me for the rebellion.

I open my mouth to say some reassuring words when a brutal knock on the front door catches my attention.

From the kitchen, Mrs. Everdeen and Prim stick their heads out, questioning the noise.

"Keep Annie here, safe," I beg, looking Mrs. Everdeen straight in the eyes. She nods her head once and I take off towards the exit.

I can hear Annie begin to protest, her piercing scream causing anguish in my nerves, but I ignore her, cracking the door open and sliding out before Prim bolts the door shut behind me.

I look to the floor just as I step on something. It is the body of a mutt. With my mouth ajar, I slowly move my eyes upward.

Standing before me in an animal-like stance is Johanna, her hands and mouth bloody from the fresh blood of the dead mutation.

"Johanna?" I question.

A deep growl comes from the back of her throat. Brutally, she wipes the blood from her lips with the back of her hand before taking off.

I stop myself from falling back against the door. I must have been knocked out for quiet a while.

We had released our secret weapon.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey readers :) I had been thinking about the reduced reviews I have been receiving for this long story. Since I am not going to be here all summer I want to know what my readers think I should do. I wish I could complete this fanfiction but with the minimal readers, I am not so sure what is best.**

**Let me hear from you guys, please!**

**(as in, review!)**

**-smyle94**

Peeta POV

The first day is nearly complete and yet it seemed so utterly silent.

Something is wrong. Or rather, that is what the President wants us to think.

"Peeta, what are you thinking about?" Katniss asks me just above a whisper. Her head laying on my legs with her face looking up at me, I stroke her hair absentmindedly.

I shake my head. What am I supposed to say?

The silence that follows forces me to look down at Katniss. Anguish is in her eyes. I can tell she wishes to speak, but here, where cameras are lurking just in the midst of our breaths, it is nearly impossible to speak our minds.

I raise my head to study the surrounding. This map had been made entirely similar to a destroyed District. For some reason, when we were first put in here, Katniss nearly went psycho when she say this place. Again, she couldn't tell me why.

"Peeta, the baby," she begins, but stops. I lower my face to kiss her on her forehead, and keep myself in that position. I close my eyes, and paint in my mind a world we could only dream of, a world filled with peace, love, and sanction.

"I wish, too, Peeta," Katniss whispers. My eyes fly open as I am caught by surprise. Of course she would know that is what I am thinking of.

"I wonder what they plan on doing when I get into labor," she thinks out loud. I continue to keep silent. This is what it feels like to have your world crashing down.

"Peeta?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

I raise my head and look into her eyes. Tears that had been welling up in them for the past minutes flood out of them and across her cheek, dripping on the dirt beneath us.

I lower my head once again, but this time to kiss her on her lips. She slowly raises her face when a spasm electrocutes her body causing her to fall back down on my legs.

I scream her name.

She stares down at her belly, and with bewildered eyes, she screams: "The baby!"

I look around, pleading for someone to come out here to help her. And just as I am about to give up hope, I see a small figure running our way.

It is the small blonde Avox from the hovercraft, carrying a white case. She shoos me away and settles herself beside Katniss. I scramble to her side as she orders Katniss to take deep breaths through her hand motions. She then silently but gently parts Katniss' legs. She looks at me with inquiring eyes, and with a blush on my face, I stumble over to Katniss' head, grasping her hand and massaging it while begging her to stay calm.

As the Avox gets to work, I begin to wonder why they sent her instead of an actual doctor.

"Why did they send you?" I ask. She replies with a confused shrug. She doesn't know herself…

Suddenly, I begin to understand what is going on.

…

Gale POV

"I love you."

Those words felt like a gunshot to my heart. Aching pain tightened my chest, shortening my breaths.

I had been seated on the couch beside Cinna, watching the Games through the television, before she spoke those poisonous words.

Numbly, I had stood up, kicked over the table in front of me, and stormed out of the room. I didn't hear Cinna get up after me. He knows I need some time alone.

With my hands wrapped tightly around my arms, I walk out of the front door. I didn't want to see anymore of it.

I _know _she is slowly killing me in the inside.

Then why can't I just forget her like someone smarter would do?

I walk down block after empty block of some place in the Capitol. It won't matter if I am in plain sight. Everyone is too busy here gushing over the love scene happening right on their TVs.

That thought causes me to suddenly break out into tears.

Quickly, I wipe them away when I hear a pair of shuffling feet running my way. I whirl around, and facing me, is Madge.

We stare at each other for what seems like forever. Her eyes are wide yet I can't comprehend what emotion is mixing inside of her.

How did she get here?

A tear slowly glides down her cheek. I reach to wipe it away, but pause as I realize I'm starting to cry as well. I drop my hand back to my side.

"Gale," she finally mumbles. I wait for her to continue. Instead, she lowers her eyes, staring at the ground. I reach out to touch her shoulder when somebody kicks me firmly on the back. I fall to the floor, causing Madge to scream. Still trying to register what is happening, I turn my gaze to look up at Madge.

A cloaked form grabs Madge's wrists and forces them behind her.

I try weakly to get up, catching the cloaked one's attention. The form cackles, raising her face to the sky, and the hood falls off of her head.

Ms. Loo.

A deadened feeling swipes through me.

"Didn't expect me, did you, sweatheart?" she taunts.

"What?" I cry weakly. Ms. Loo sends another kick at my face with her booted foot, knocking me nearly senseless.

Madge begins to sob uncontrollably as she calls out my name.

Something suddenly stops Ms. Loo short. Still grasping Madge's wrists, she stares as something behind me.

Her face freezes.

"Loo, I've been hoping I could see you again."

I wish I could laugh. Because for the first time, I am actually relieved to hear President Snow's voice.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey everybody! Long time since I've updated, but to tell you the truth, the next few chapters have already been written so I'll post them frequently. I am completely enjoying this part of the story and I extremely hope you all are too. Any feedback or comments are especially welcomed. Enjoy enjoy enjoy!**

**-smyle94**

Lurena

I wake up to the sudden shuffling of footsteps in the craft. Still tied down, I raise my head to see Loo. She is leaning her body against a table, swallowing quick breaths as if she had just ran a marathon.

After a while, her breathing slows and she picks up her head to stare at me. For the first time, I see defeat in her eyes. But only for a second.

"Stupid Snow took Madge and Gale," she begins. I don't ask about Gale or how on earth he ended up in this situation.

Loo zips past me and to her seat among the gadgets she set up on a desk. She pulls down a screen and I stare at what comes to view.

The image looked sort of like a radar except it was the entire map of Panem. I barely feel my jaw drop. Multiple red dots illuminate on the screen, bright against the green and black background. Loo presses her finger on an area marked "CAPITOL". It quickly zooms in, revealing only two dots in the area, one of them nearly off of the screen. Loo glances back at me with a hysterical grin on her face.

"Am I not just the cleverest person alive?" she laughs.

I still don't understand what is going on. Loo sees the blank look on my face and roles her eyes dramatically.

"I had Peeta, Annie, and Gale injected with tracking devices when they had thought I was on their side." She glances at me again and knows I completely understood.

"Where is Peeta right now?" I ask.

"In the Games."

I stare again at the dot that is coming in and out of view on the far right side of the screen. This is just amazing.

"What do you plan on doing?" I ask her just out of curiosity.

"Usually, I don't like to tell someone my plans, but since I already have you 100% in my clutches, I guess I will just say. You see, after the secret weapon had been released by you, as in Johanna, the President needs something to keep the District from completely killing off his troops and overthrowing that area. He has Katniss and Peeta. He believes that whether they live or die will control what the District plans on doing. If I am able to get hold of the two of them with the help of this tracking device, President Snow will then be under my control."

"Then why do you need me?" I ask.

"Oh, I _know_ you were given a way to control Johanna."

Loo smiles triumphantly and whirls back around to face the screen.

I need to escape. After all, this is my hovercraft. I should be able to figure out some way to get myself out.

Suddenly, something starts vibrating on Loo's desk. She picks up, and I recognize, my handheld device that I use to communicate mostly with Cinna. She clicks the talk button and at first, static is heard from the other side.

"Lurena?" Cinna's muffled voice questions.

Loo quickly shuts off.

I have no time to wonder what Loo is up to. Instead, I study my surroundings, trying to fabricate an escape plan.

…

Darius

"Darius?"

I quickly turn around to see who is calling my name. It's Prim.

I smile jubilantly at her and a worried look crosses her face. And I remember. She doesn't know I can't speak.

I make a slicing motion with my index finger over my neck trying to display that I am mute.

She slowly places a shivering hand over her mouth.

"I'm sorry," she squeaks. I only shrug.

We both turn to look at the destruction before us. For the past hours I had been standing here thinking of absolutely nothing. Of course, I wasn't in plain sight of the battle, only merely standing between the shrubberies as obliteration is caused by Johanna.

"We just might win," Prim whispers. I weakly smile and reach my hand to grab hold of the upper area of my other arm.

Both of us nearly jump when we here the screeching of a bird. Simultaneously, we turn to stare up at the ceiling of this underground world as a distinguishable black mockingjay circles above us, calling out the signal Prim seemed to understand.

"Let's go!" she murmurs, motioning with her hand to follow her. Struggling against the sloped gravel, I follow behind her as we make our way around the destruction.

I notice several other people moving the same way who look as if they also dwell in District 13.

We reach an area of slanting road that leads us above the underground world and to normal ground.

We are surrounded by dense trees. However, in the middle stands a clearing circled with a few buildings nearly undistinguishable since the outsides are infested with vines and shrubbery.

Prim grabs hold of my arm and pulls me forward to the main structure of this area. Once we make it through the main doorway, I make out a conference kind of table with seated men and women. Towards the front is a quite colossal man with anxiety displayed on his long face.

"What is going on?" someone besides me whispers in between the growing crowd.

The man who had been standing at the front of the table takes a step off to the side. A large but blank T.V. comes into view. The man presses the power button…

And we are greeted with the haunting face of Katniss looking as if she is about to die. Blood and tears streak her face as her sobs turn into screams. The screenshot then goes to Peeta who is seen looking downwards (probably at Katniss) with tears also rolling down his damp face. He is taking in short breaths and fright is the only emotion displayed on his face.

The man goes back to turn off the T.V. He breaks the ghastly silence that had filled the room by clearing his throat.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, under Snow's authority, the Games have begun."

I suddenly realize Prim's hold on my arm had gone limp. I turn my head and catch her just in time as she faints.

Snow must either be completely insane or he has something unbelievable up his sleeve.

I walk out of the conference room with Prim in my arms. Heads turn in curiosity and I can feel the looks of pity boring into Prim.

Once I walk back outside, the chirping of birds is the only sound. No evidence of any sort of war happening just past the trees is obvious.

I seal my eyes closed for just a second. The only movie that comes to mind is Katniss walking cheerfully past me with that smile she puts on after a good hunt. Gale is trotting just beside her, holding the bag full of the day's hunt and staring at her with a look of adoration I had been recognizing on his face for I can't say how long. She then turns to him to say something impressive, and the last image I can remember is her shoving him playfully off the dirt pathway after he replied with a smart comment that he would only say to amuse her.

When I open my eyes again, I see Prim staring up at me from my arms.

"You're crying," she remarks in a small voice.

I shrug.

"But then again," she continues, "so was Peeta. I guess we all have some sort of emotional spot inside of us that we all try to hide."

I am just about to start walking again when she continues.

"Including Snow."


	6. Chapter 6

Gale

"Reveal to me the whereabouts of Cinna," President Snow orders with a bored voice.

"What?" I breathe. Was this man crazy? "Why the hell would I do that?"

"I thought I'd give it a shot," Snow shrugs as he settles himself back in his seat positioned right in front of mine. I scrunch my eyes and scrutinize him with a half-glare. What is he trying to pull off?

Snow flicks his finger and someone enters the doorway to my right.

Madge.

With a gun pressed to her head.

She tries to struggle out of the grip of the men clasping her hands and head back. Tears are forced out of her blue eyes.

"Wh-what are you doing?" I ask Snow, but my eyes remain on Madge.

"The obvious, Gale. You tell me where Cinna is or I'll blow your girlfriend's head off."

"She's not my-."

Snow raises a hand to shut me up. I tighten the muscles in my jaw and glare at him. If only my hands were untied. It would only take a second to have his neck in my hands.

"You really need to let go of the past, Gale. How long have you been falling for Katniss, knowing she's well past you?"

"Shut UP."

"Seriously, Gale. You would have had so much more potential if you weren't too busy moping around over a loss of no worth."

"Be. Quiet."

"You think Katniss still has some sort of _love_ for you? Those looks she ever gave you after her first Hunger Games were looks of pity, Gale. She doesn't _love_ you anymore, she _pities_ you for not growing up already. What is she supposed to do? Say it to your face that it will never happen?"

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" My head is pounding so hard. I place it between my legs and begin to cry. He was right, but I didn't want to acknowledge my mistake. My stupidity. My immaturity. Damn, Katniss was dying out there and instead of finding some way to save her, I had been walking the streets in bare view mourning over the fact that she just might not love me. What kind of friend am I?

"Did you know Katniss is having her baby right now?" Snow asks out of mere boredom. I lift my head up and stare at him, looking for any sign of dishonesty.

"H-how is she?" I can't stop myself from asking. Snow shrugs absentmindedly.

"Now Gale, I'm giving you one last chance. You either tell me where Cinna is or Madge's death it is."

Madge, who had been completely quiet during this entire conversation, does not dare to look at me. Her eyes are at the floor as I gaze at her intently.

She finally raises her head but there is a new look in her eyes. A look of some sort of accomplished victory that has gone on in her head, and I don't like it. A new claritiy shines behind her blue eyes as she gazes at me emotionless.

"Let me die," she whispers after a choke. I search for any doubt in her eyes, and find nothing.

I shake my head. Snow shuffles a little in his seat.

"Let me die, Gale. I am begging you."

"Why should I let you die? This is my mistake, not yours."

"No, it's mine. I was the one who followed you. If I hadn't been so stupid, I wouldn't be causing this entire problem to start with. Loo wouldn't have found you."

"But Snow would have."

"Gale," Madge whispers intently.

I glimpse at Madge momentarily. She opens her mouth and I know what she is going to say. Does she think I could bare those sickening three words if she spoke them? Instead, I cut her off.

"Snow," I growl.

"Yes, Gale?"

"I'll tell you where Cinna is."


	7. Chapter 7

Cinna

Katniss is still in the process of labor when I force myself to turn the television off. What kind of sick program would make this private occurrence public to the viewers' eyes?

A thunderous explosion causes me to fall to the floor in safety. I stare over the couch at the hallway and see the main door had been blown to bits. I only observe for a second as guards file in with armed suits. Swiftly, I remove an explosive out of a package on my belt loop, place in under the couch, and activate it. I crawl over to the kitchen area a few feet away from me and open a concealed door in the ground.

How did they know where I was?

Gale comes to my mind almost instantly. What sick thought made me think I could trust him alone?

I jump into the underground compartment and seal it shut. I can feel feet making the ground above me quiver. Voices are being heard from the other rooms, but I don't stay to listen. Instead, I run down the tunnel that had been expertly created. It would lead to the surface after hundreds of feet, much away from this base.

I pull out my communication device to warn Lurena if something were to happen to me. I dial her number.

The other end picks up.

"Lurena?" I question in a small voice.

No reply.

I open my mouth to speak again but the other end hangs up.

Huh?

Getting closer to the other end, I decide to give up calling her.

Just as I reach the end of the tunnel, I hear the explosion that I can imagine blew the place up to smithereens. I push the ground above me, and after a little fight, it unscrews itself. I jump up to catch the ledge and pull myself up. I have no time to wait. I must leave now.

In mind, I have the nearest hidden base to here. I begin to sprint off when I hear voices yelling behind me. The second I take to glance back costs me as a bola is thrown at my legs, bringing me down. Uniformed men jog up to me as I try desperately to free myself from the heavy chains. I remove the pistol from my belt and aim it at the chest of one of the guys. I take him down easily.

Another uniformed man grabs hold of my arms and I butt him with the end of my gun in his face. I release myself and send a punch at his face as well. His emotionless eyes roll upwards slightly as he falls back with a bloodied expression.

I aim the pistol and shoot down the other two men whose attentions had been caught by me. Finally, I pull out a dagger and try desperately to release myself. Beads of sweat drip down my face as I curse Gale's name.

Somebody's boot knocks out my dagger and a hand pulls my head back by my hair, causing me to cry out in pain.

President Snow stares down at me with an amused grin.

Instinctively, I reach for my belt but someone grabs my hand, forcing both of them behind my back.

"All of this was planned behind my back?" Snow pouts with a fake frown on his face.

"You wouldn't be surprised," I spit back at him.

"Well you should be thanking Gale-."

"I know," I state.

"He's too emotional for my taste," Snow notes.

"We seem to be having the opposite problem with you, Snow."

The President raises an interested brow.

"And that is why I don't fail," Snow remarks. He then brings his head closer to mine. "I am going to win this one Cinna, and it will be the end of your stupid rebellions. You think _you_ can bring down what I have created?"

"My job, Snow, is to destroy corruption."

"What corruption? My society is functioning perfectly," Snow spits at me, his face just a few inches away from mine.

"Those are the words of a ruthless dictator. You are only duplicating the world that had existed before us. Before it was destroyed by the abuse of granted power to pitiless tyrants."

"You know nothing of how to rule a society, Cinna."

"Obviously, you don't either. Otherwise, these rebellions wouldn't be going on."

"This is normal in humanity's perspective."

I smirk. "And so is the end of a dictator's rule."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Just a little side note! If you haven't read Haunting Souls for a while now and don't remember Katniss's dream in the beginning, it would be good to go skim through it really fast ;) Sorry for the hint! But I don't want readers to be confused.**

**-smyle94**

**P.S: I updated two chapters together today for your own treat :)**

Peeta

The sobbing and screaming of a newborn relieves my tense body. Katniss, who had been squeezing my hand insanely tight, lets go as soon as she hears the baby.

The blonde girl raises the baby, handing it over to me quickly so she could clean up. My eyes cannot move away from the baby's angelic face.

"Boy or girl?" Katniss whispers, her eyes on the child.

"Girl," I reply under my breath as I gently rock the crying newborn back and forth. A baby in my hands seems so foreign. I don't think I've ever carried one before.

The baby girl stares up at me, and the first thing I could notice were her large eyes, a startling blue that inevitabely reminds me of mine.

Katniss slowly raises herself and silently studies the baby, sobbing quietly as a large smile brightens her once damp face.

"She has your eyes, Peeta," Katniss praises in awe.

Of course I was the father…Snow had to make this as real as possible. At least it was me and no one else…

I imagine everyone in the Capitol squealing and gushing over the beautiful child in my arms.

Katniss places her hand gently on my shoulder, causing me to look at her. Without warning me, she leans forward and kisses me.

It's hard to explain how much I can savor a simple touch, nevertheless a kiss, from Katniss.

Soon after, the Avox girl is tapping at my shoulder. I turn around just as she signals for me to give her the baby. I imagine she needs to clean the newborn up or something important, so I gingerly pass the girl over.

The blonde Avox nods for us to stay here as she trots away, carefully holding the baby in her thin arms.

I take a deep breath and glance at Katniss, who is staring behind at the Avox.

"So…" I begin.

She doesn't reply. She continues to study the Avox with an intent, concentrating face…as if she is trying to remember something.

"Katniss?" I begin, wondering why she still doesn't dare to look away from the slowly disappearing Avox.

I open my mouth to say something else when Katniss whips her head around to stare at me.

"Oh my God, Peeta. My dream! She's from MY DREAM," Katniss declares.

I stay quiet, considering I'm not so sure what this means.

"PEETA! Go get the girl," she orders me in a suddenly protective tone.

"Wh-what?"

"GO GET THE AVOX!" Katniss begins to scream as she drags herself extremely slowly off the floor. I jump to my feet so she wouldn't have to get up.

"Why, Katniss? Tell me why!" For some reason, a small sense of fright spreads throughout my nerves. The safety of the baby is the only thing flashing through my head.

Katniss whips her head around, studying the buildings with eyes flooding with tears.

"No," she sobs, "Please no."

I can't help but think she had a premonition, and something bad is just about to happen…

Just as I turn to follow the Avox's tracks, a steady, yet noticeable, rumbling begins…the ground, is shaking ever so slightly.

Adrenaline pounds through my veins. I take off in a sprint after where the Avox went and I can still hear Katniss sobbing and screaming behind me.

"My DAMN DREAM. WHY COULDN'T I REMEMBER IT?" she screams to no one in particular.

A few steps later, the rumbling turns into something I have only read about in books: An earthquake.

Losing my balance, I fall instantly to the floor, barely catching myself with my hands.

The only thought in my mind is the baby.

I glance around in despair as buildings fall around me as if they were only made of paper barely glued together.

I need to find my child.

I steady myself as I try so desperately to stand up. Just as I raise my upper body, I turn just in time to hear Katniss scream my name…

And just in time for the rubble of a once-upon-a-home to knock me down and bury me in what I could only think is my destined grave.


End file.
